I have an older relation living in the city. They are considering the rent a room scheme that could earn them some extra money tax free, and would like to know what rules apply for them to rent a room. Do they have to supply a shower room/bath, toilet, a kitchen + washing machine, double/single bedroom and what sort of heating? Anything else I'm not considering and who pays for what? Many thanks for any help.
Rent a room guidelines for tenant and home owner
- Thread starter noproblem
- Start date
Basically your relative is inviting someone to share their house. I can't see how they could rent out just "a room" with no bathroom, or kitchen access etc. If there are two bathrooms in the house, one could be assigned to the lodger, but if there is only one, the relative would have to share, perhaps arranging specific times for use of kitchen, laundry facilities and bathroom.
Will the lodger keep their own room clean, or will the relative be providing cleaning services?
If the house-owner would prefer not to share the kitchen, is there space in the lodger's room to set up a mini-kitchen of kettle, toaster, fridge and microwave?
Will the current wifi system be sufficient for the lodger to work from home, if necessary?
Is extra furniture such as bed, wardrobe, desk and chair for working, going to be needed, or will the lodger be bringing some of their own?
House insurance will increase.
Work out beforehand what the extra heating, laundry, cooking, lighting and rubbish costs will be, recognising that costs will be much higher in winter.
Include all these extra costs in the rental, look at local advertisements, and see how much actual benefit there will be for your relative.
Will the lodger keep their own room clean, or will the relative be providing cleaning services?
If the house-owner would prefer not to share the kitchen, is there space in the lodger's room to set up a mini-kitchen of kettle, toaster, fridge and microwave?
Will the current wifi system be sufficient for the lodger to work from home, if necessary?
Is extra furniture such as bed, wardrobe, desk and chair for working, going to be needed, or will the lodger be bringing some of their own?
House insurance will increase.
Work out beforehand what the extra heating, laundry, cooking, lighting and rubbish costs will be, recognising that costs will be much higher in winter.
Include all these extra costs in the rental, look at local advertisements, and see how much actual benefit there will be for your relative.
I'm asking what the rules are. I've looked up what they say on citizens advice but nothing about what the room/rooms has to be and what it needs to contain. Anyone availing of this that can help?
The Horseman
Registered User
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There are no set rules/regulations. Normally the rent can either include or exclude bills (your relative can decide).
If rent exclude bills then split utilities 50/50 assuming only two of them in the property.
Agree access times to shower and kitchen etc. If more than one toilet sitting room then you can agree which one each use.
Did you see this on Citizens Advice?
"If the part of your home that you rent out is not self-contained, you are not covered by landlord and tenant legislation, so the rights and obligations under that legislation do not apply to you........ In general the accommodation you provide does not need to meet any minimum physical standards. However, if you are renting to a HAP tenant the accommodation must meet minimum standards." If self contained it's a different matter.
"If the part of your home that you rent out is not self-contained, you are not covered by landlord and tenant legislation, so the rights and obligations under that legislation do not apply to you........ In general the accommodation you provide does not need to meet any minimum physical standards. However, if you are renting to a HAP tenant the accommodation must meet minimum standards." If self contained it's a different matter.
mct1,
I did, it's just that if anyone is doing the "rent a room" can they tell me what exactly they're doing and what is the tenant getting? My auntie and her hubby live in Galway city in a smallish 3 bed semi detached house. All they have is a full state pension and a dependent allowance. They're very nice kind people and would like to make a few bob tax free and help someone get a room to stay in, but be independent of them and visa-versa. There's hundreds of students about to go back to UNI, etc. There's also hundreds looking for a place to stay. They don't want to rent out a few rooms, etc. Just the rent a room scheme that the revenue and rules allow tax free up to €14k. They have no intention of charging €14k. There's also a garage attached to the house, needs doing up and they asked me how they would go about qualifying for the scheme and what exactly was involved in remodelling for it. They also like their privacy. Thanks for replies but would love to hear from houseowners who are doing this and what was involved in doing things to the house, etc. Forgot to add, they have about €7.5 to €10k that they could spend to make the space comfy and proper.
I did, it's just that if anyone is doing the "rent a room" can they tell me what exactly they're doing and what is the tenant getting? My auntie and her hubby live in Galway city in a smallish 3 bed semi detached house. All they have is a full state pension and a dependent allowance. They're very nice kind people and would like to make a few bob tax free and help someone get a room to stay in, but be independent of them and visa-versa. There's hundreds of students about to go back to UNI, etc. There's also hundreds looking for a place to stay. They don't want to rent out a few rooms, etc. Just the rent a room scheme that the revenue and rules allow tax free up to €14k. They have no intention of charging €14k. There's also a garage attached to the house, needs doing up and they asked me how they would go about qualifying for the scheme and what exactly was involved in remodelling for it. They also like their privacy. Thanks for replies but would love to hear from houseowners who are doing this and what was involved in doing things to the house, etc. Forgot to add, they have about €7.5 to €10k that they could spend to make the space comfy and proper.
That's why I was asking questions to start with. A lodger will not really be independent unless there is a separate bathroom and kitchen.
I have had various lodgers under this scheme: mostly married couples, and often with a child or two, for periods from 2 months to 2 years. My house is a 3 bed semi.
I could not have initially rented out a room without total redecoration and new bed & mattress etc. but I see they can afford to do that if necessary.
I have only one kitchen, and didn't set specific access hours, but we tended to have different timetables so it worked out well enough.
Although I agreed the sitting room was also a common area, most lodgers preferred to relax in their own space.
An arrangement to only stay weeknights might suit a student who would go back to family at weekends, and give your relatives the weekend to themselves. Some people offer to cook and clean for a student, but I wouldn't.
Rather than adjusting for extra winter costs, for simplicity I build the average background costs into the price I set. This will vary from one area to another, so look at local ads to get an idea of market price.
I have had only one student lodger, who was very quiet and clean, but my friend had to tell one of her student lodgers to leave after bringing boyfriends home at late hours.
Be clear about rules before taking someone in. I have provided guidelines but never signed a contract.
In this situation the lodger has no right to stay if differences arise. The house-holder has all the power, and makes the rules.
Gervan,
Thanks for that. When you say self contained I take it you mean, separate to the house but still in the house. Could they not have that but with a door to go in if needs be, but locked all the same. Seems a bit silly that you can rent a room and yet a nice made up bedroom, toilet/shower and kitchenette contained within the house is not allowed if it has a separate entrance? I do actually know people who have availed of a rent a room scheme and have a flatlet place within their houses, or so they tell me although as you can make out I haven't actually seen them. Who's to know if it's self contained or not?
Self contained within the main house is fine. If you want to convert a garage it should be connected to the main house via a door (can be locked).
None. Not covered by RTB but he/she won't get a tenant or the tenant without at very least having a bathroom they can use, whether shared or exclusive.
In order to qualify for rent-a-room it has to be sharing with the landlord and not a self contained unit. It would be considered tax evasion.
Where are you getting that from? It's completely wrong...
What type of residence qualifies?
This page explains what properties are required to benefit from rent a room relief.
www.revenue.ie